stiegler



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet; 1-. X. STIEGLER.

Feeding Mechanism for- L'ooms' for Weaving Seamless Corsets, 8w.

v No. 235,915. Patented Dec. 28,1880.

r-" Q INVENTUR.

NJUHS PROTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. n C.

' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

X. STIEGLER; Feeding Mechanism for Looms for" Weaving Seamless;

Corsets; 8pc.

No.235,9l5.. Patented Dec. 28,1880.

. INVENTUR'. 'ATTESTI' "JETBW. 'FNOTO LITHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTCN. D. G.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XAVIER STIEGLER, OF BAR-LE-DUO, MEUSE, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF ANDJULES OARGEMEL, OF SAME PLACE.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS FOR WEAVING'SEAMLESS CORSETS, 8w.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,915, dated December28, 1880.

Applicationfiled September 3,1880. (N0 model.) Patentedin France May20,1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, XAVIER STIEGLER, acitizen of the French Republic, residing in Bar-le-Duc, Meuse, France,have invented certain Improvementsiu Feedin g Mechanisms for Looms forWeaving Seamless Corsets and other Irregular or Gusseted Fabrics, ofwhich the following is a specification.

It is necessary in weaving fabrics where convex or concave places occurto form gussets by weaving in short weft-threads until the desiredfullness is produced, and then to draw the unfinished edge of the webinto a straight line, that the full-width weaving may be resumed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3 are diagramsillustrating the fabric in the successive stages of this operation.

A A are the warp-threads, indicated by 'light lines, and B B are theweft-threads, indicated by heavy lines. Weft-threads, shown at a a, arewoven entirely across the fabric until the place is reached where thegusset is to be formed. Then shorter weft-threads (shown at b b) arewoven in until the gusset attains the desired fullness. Fig.1 shows thefabric after this has been accomplished. Then the batten is broughtforward until the reed rests against the last of the short threads andthe woven web is released, so that the tension upon the warp draws theunfinished edge forward against the reed, thereby bringing it into astraight line. Fig. 2 shows the fabric after this operation has beenperformed. Then the weavingof full-width weftis resumed, as shown at 61/in Fig. 3.

Irregular weaving is distinguished from regular weaving by the fact thatin the latter all portions of the woven fabric or web are fed forwarduniformly or at an equal speed, while in the former, being woven withoutuniformity, they must be fed forward at different speeds, the fullerportions being fed faster than the others in proportion as they arewoven faster. In weaving regular goods bypower-looms the finished webiswound upon a roller, which takes it up as fast as it is woven; but inweaving irregular or gusseted fabrics it has heretofore been foundnecessary to feed intermittently, holding the web stationary by a clampuntil a certain amount has been woven, then releasing the clamp andcarrying the web forward by the batten to the extreme forward positionof the latter, and then giving the clamp a new hold and resuming theweaving. Consequently it has been essential that the batten shouldrecede by the width of a thread as each thread is woven in. Inhand-weaving this is easily accomplished, since the play of the battenis not necessarily uniform, being regulated by the hand of the operatorbut in power-looms complicated mechanical devices have to be employed tocarry back the batten uniformly and at a speed corresponding to thespeed with which the weft is filled in, and to carry it forward quicklyand to its fullest extent when the web is to be carried forward. Toovercome these objections I have devised a feeding mechanism applicableto the ordinary power-loom, which carries forward the web as fast as itis woven, as in regular weaving, and which, after the short threadsforming a gusset have been wovenin, may be made to release its hold uponthe fabric, letting the latter be drawn back to a straight edge againstthereed, whereupon it may be moved back and re-engaged with the fabric,and the feeding resumed. Thus the batten has a uniform play, and doesnot recede as the weft is filled in.

My improved feeding mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and v6 ofthe accompanying drawings, the forward portion of the loom beingalsoshown in FigsAEand 5,but the remainder thereof being omitted, since itis of the usual construction and forms no part of my invention, nor isit essential to elucidate the operation thereof. Fig. 4 is a frontelevation. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectiontaken in the plane of the line asm in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view on a larger scale.

0 is the fixed frame of the loom; D, the lay or batten, and c the reedor comb mounted in the latter, all being substantially of the usualconstruction. i

E E are clamping-bars, between which the fabric (shown in Fig. 5 by theline cl) may be griped or clamped. The bar E is preferably faced withleather, rubber, cloth, or other soft or elastic substance over whichthe fabric passes. The bar E is arranged above the bar E, and

is capable of being pressed forcibly down upon the same,anditsloweredgeis preferablyformed with fine teeth or points to engage the fabricand prevent its slipping. The two bars E E are capable of motiontogether toward or from the batten. This maybe effected in several ways,the preferable one (shown in the drawings) being by mounting them on aswinging frame, 0, which is pivoted beneath on a rock-shaft, f. The barE is fixed to the frame 6, while the bar E is mounted thereon so as tohave a slight vertical motion. Its ends are fixed to the short arms oflevers g g, whose long arms are connected, through the medium of links hh, levers 15 t, and links jj, to levers Z Z, which carry weights F F.The weights act at great mechanical advantage to force the bar E downupon the bar E, and are lifted to raise the bar E by depressing atreadlemz, with the foot, this treadle being fixed to a rockshaft, a,which ties together the twolevers Z Z.

The devices h, 43,3, 7a, 1, and F are preferably duplicated, as shown,though a single set, if arranged centrally, might serve the purpose.

The bars E E are drawn forcibly forward by the following-describedmechanism Theframe e is provided with toothed racks p p, which mesh withpinions 1" r, fixed on a shaft, G, which has bearings in the frame 0.The racks may be guided and kept in mesh with the pinions by means ofguiding frames 8 s, which embrace the shaft G and determine the extentof motion-of the frame 0. The shaft Gr bears, near its extremity, agear-wheel, H, which is loose on the shaft and meshes with any suitablegearing of the loom, a portion of which is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, beinglettered tt. This gearing is preferably the same and driven by the samemeans as that commonly employed in power-looms for operating thecloth-roll or take-up, that roll having been removed from the machineand the shaft G applied in its place. I provide some suitable means forcausing the shaft G to rotate with the wheel H when desired, thepreferable device for this purpose consisting ofa radial arm, I, fixedto the sh aft close to the wheel, and fitted with a clutch, J, to engagethe periphery of the wheel. The preferable form of this clutch is shownin Fig. 6, which is avertical mid-section. The clutch consists of aclamping-head which overhangs and bears against the rim of the wheel,and has a screw-threaded shank which passes through the end of the arm Iand is engaged by a nut which forms part of a handle or 1ever, K. Byturning this handle the screw is rawn back and the rim of the wheeltightly clamped. A device for taking in between the teeth of the wheelmay be substituted for the clamp. v

The operation is as follows: The frame 6 0 stands at first in theposition shown in Fig. 5 in dotted lines, its clamping-bars having firmhold of the fabric. If, now, the clutch J be engaged with the wheel H,by turning the lever K the shaft G and its pinions r T will rotate withthe wheel in the direction of the an row in Fig. 5,.drawing forward theracks and the frame 6 until the latter occupies the position shown infull lines. The fabric is thus drawn steadily forward, while the threads(1- and b are being woven, at a speed corresponding to the rapidity ofthe weaving. At the completion of the threads for the gusset, or whenthe frame 6 has assumed the position shown in fulllines, the loom isstopped by the action of the Jacquard mechanism, which governs theweaving in of the-thread b or by other suitable means. The batten D willthen be moved forward, being assisted by the hand of the operator ifnecessary, until its reed rests against the last thread, I), Fig. 1, ofthe gusset, being then in about the position shown by the dotted linesin Fig. 5. The operator then disengages the clutch J from the wheel H,thus freeing the shaft G and frame 0, and then, by pressing with hisfoot on the treadle m, he lifts the clamping-bar E, and thus releasesthe fabric, which is at once drawn back by the tension of the weights,which stretch the warp until its rear edge is brought into a straightline against the reed c, as shown in Fig. 2. The operator then, whilestill holding down the treadle, pushes back the frame 0 into its firstposition, then releases the treadle, thus permitting the bars E E toagain clamp the fabric, and again tightens the clutch J, when the loomis again started, the weaving of wide weft-threads is resumed, as shownat a, in Fig. 3, and the former operation is repeated. The operationthus proceeds intermittently, the forward motion of the clamping-barsfeedin g forward the goods as it is woven, and the bars being broughtback each time after the weaving of a certain length, usually thedistance between two gussets.

My mechanism is susceptible of considerable modification withoutdeparting from its essential features, as, for instance, the lowerclampin g-bar might be made the movable one. The two bars might bepressed together by springs instead of weights and levers. The barsmight slide forward and backward in guides or ways instead of beingborne by a pivoted frame. The forward movement of the frame or barsmight be effected by other gearing and connections than those shown.Theconnecting and disconnecting of the mechanism for moving forward thebars might be effected by other forms of clutches or by any known formof let-off device, and a single bar with teeth to penetrate the goodsmight be substituted for the clamping-bars.

I claim as my invention- 1. A feeding mechanism for looms, consisting ofan engaging portion for taking hold of the web, which can be engagedtherewith or be disengaged therefrom at will, and which is capable ofmotion bodily toward and from the batten, in combination with mechanismfor propelling it forward or from the batten as the wcavin g proceeds,and with means for com necting and disconnecting it with said pro-.pelling mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A feeding mechanism for looms, consisting of clamping-bars E' E ofsuitable con struction, capable of motion toward and from the batten ofthe loom, in combination with means for forcing them together and forseparating them, with mechanism for propelling them forward or away fromthe batten while the weaving is in progress, and with means fordisconnecting them from said propelling mechanism, substantially as setforth.

3. In a feeding mechanism for looms, the

, combination of the pivoted frame 6, the clamping-bar E, fixed thereon,the levers g g, fulcrumed to said frame, the clamping-bar E, mounted onsaid levers, the weighted levers 1, suitable connecting mechanismbetween levers g and Z, and the treadle m, whose depression lifts theweighted levers and raises the bar E, substantially as set forth.

4. In a feeding mechanism for looms, the combination of the engagingdevice for boldin g the fabric, the frame 6, bearing the same, and therack 19, pinion 1", shaft Gr, wheel H, and means for engaging anddisengaging said shaft and wheel, substantially as set forth.

5. In a feeding mechanism for looms, the combination of the engagingdevice for holding the fabric, the frame 6, bearing the same, the rack9, the pinion r, the shaft G, the wheel H, the clutch J, and the leverK, substantially as set forth.

' In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

XAVIER STIEGLER.

Witnesses PAUL GAY, R. TENIERE.

